We recognize MSHS faculty and staff who have been leaders in promoting access to care for the LGBT community.

Kenneth Ashley, MD

National Leader in Mental Health Treatment for LGBT Communities

Dr. Ashley, a gay African American psychiatrist, is a national leader in the promotion of mental health and wellness among LGBT, HIV/AIDS and people of color communities. As senior psychiatrist in Mount Sinai’s Peter Krueger Clinic and Co-Chair of Mount Sinai Beth Israel’s LGBT Employee Resource Group, Dr. Ashley continues to bring visibility to the needs of and best practices to the health of LGBT and HIV patients.

Alan Flippen, MBA, MS

Leading LGBT Inclusion in Media

Alan Flippen, Director of Publications and Communications for the Mount Sinai health System, is Chair of the Corporate LGBT Employee Resource Group. He was a co-founder of the New York chapter of NLGJA: The Association of LGBT Journalists. Alan also helped work for fair coverage of LGBT issues as an editor at The Associated Press and The New York Times. He now serves on the board of Immigration Equality.

Zil Garner Goldstein, FNP

Pioneer in Transgender Inclusive Primary Care

Zil Goldstein is a nurse practitioner and a transgender activist working to promote better health care in marginalized communities. As the transgender health specialist in Peter Krueger Clinic and Mount Sinai Beth Israel’s Medical Group at West 14th Street, she leads education and training in transgender-competent care for providers and residents throughout the Health System. She is a published author on transgender and sex worker health and is a nationally recognized leader in both fields.

Noelle Marie Javier, MD

Champion for Culturally Competent Healthcare

Dr. Javier promotes culturally competent health care within the Mount Sinai Health System and beyond. As an empowered minority woman of Asian descent and transgender experiences, she understands firsthand the unique set of care needs affecting these populations. She is an internist, geriatrician, and hospice and palliative care specialist and is on faculty at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is a longtime advocate for high quality and holistic medical care for marginalized members of society including older adults, the indigent, and members of the LGBTQ population.

Reena Karani, MD, MHPE

Promoting Lifelong LGBT Health

Dr. Karani is Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education & Curricular Affairs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. As an internationally recognized leader in medical education, she works to ensure that health care professionals are trained to provide high quality, evidence-based care to LGBTQ patients. In her role as a Professor of Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine, Dr. Karani advocates for and speaks nationally on the health needs of older LGBTQ adults. As a lesbian of color, she is deeply motivated by issues of inclusion, diversity, and equity.

Paul Krieger, MD

Pioneering LGBT Emergency Medicine

Dr. Krieger is an emergency medicine physician and former chair of the LGBT Employee Resource Group at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. He lectures nationally and is a published author on LGBT health. Dr. Krieger is currently the LGBT Committee Chair for the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine’s Diversity Academy, for which he co-wrote a formal emergency medicine curriculum on best practices for LGBT patients.

Carla Moscoso

Establishing LGBT Health Equality in Queens

Carla Moscoso is the Director, Practice Operations at Mount Sinai Queens. As a Latina lesbian, Carla promotes diversity and inclusion and is dedicated to raising the level of awareness for staff and patients. Her work inside and outside the LGBT community fosters understanding and knowledge, breaking down barriers and starting dialogues. Working with MSQ leadership, Carla helped obtain Healthcare Equality Index designation. Carla is dedicated to inclusion in what she says and what she does.

Ann-Gel Sirrae Palermo, MPH, DrPH

Champion of LGBT Inclusion in Public Health and Medicine

Dr. Palermo, Chief Program Officer, Mount Sinai Health System Office for Diversity and Inclusion, is a leader in fostering diversity perspective at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and for Health System employees. As a lesbian of color working for health equity for all communities, Dr. Palermo is a national role model for LGBT advocacy within academic medicine.

Joseph Ruggiero, PhD

Innovating LGBT Affirmative Addiction Treatment

Joe Ruggiero, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and works as the Assistant Clinical Director of the Addiction Institute of NY. He is also the Director an Cofounder of the Crystal Clear Project which is focused on providing sensitive care to gay and bisexual men who use methamphetamine and other substances. He is chair of the LGBT Employee Resource Group at Mount Sinai West and has led workshops on LGBTQ-sensitive mentor health care.

Marta Sanabria-Alexander

Ally and Advocate for LGBT Health Equality

Marta Alexander, Medical Board Administrative Manager, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai Roosevelt, is Co-Chair of the LGBT and Friends Employee Resource Group and was instrumental in achieving national recognition in advancing LGBT health. As a committed ally, Marta is a role model within the Health System for supporting diversity and LGBT health equality.

Jose Sepulveda, JD

From Volunteer to LGBT Health Leader

Jose Sepulveda, a Manager in the Department of Otolaryngology at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEEI), is a dedicated volunteer with NYC’s LGBT community health centers. Jose is in a leadership role in promoting LGBT health as the inaugural Co-Chair of the NYEEI LGBT Employee Resource Group, and represents LGBT issues on its Diversity Council.

Rainier Patrick Soriano, MD

Leader in Medical Education in LGBT Health

Dr. Soriano inaugurated the inclusion of LGBT-competent health care in medical education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai nearly a decade ago. As Co-Director of Curriculum and Director of Educational Technology, he promotes LGBT evidence-based best practices in medical education. Nationally recognized for his work in geriatric and palliative care, and as a gay physician from the Philippines, Dr. Soriano brings a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion to his leadership role.

Anthony E. Urbina, MD

Innovator in HIV/AIDS Prevention and Research

Dr. Urbina, who is of Cuban descent, is Medical Director for the Mount Sinai Institute for Advanced Medicine, and Principal Investigator for the Clinical Education Initiative of the NYSDOH AIDS Institute and the NY/NJ AIDS Education and Training Center. Since 1995, he has pioneered innovative programming for community-based clinics, hospitals, and public health departments and served on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and Governor Cuomo’s Task Force to end the AIDS epidemic.

Stephen Weber, MBA

Volunteering for the LGBT Community

Stephen, a proud gay, Native American of Cherokee Indian descent, is the Director of Patient Experience and Volunteer Services at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai and has been a dedicated volunteer in several of NYC’s LGBT Community Centers. Stephen brought discussion of diversity and inclusion to NYEE’s new hire orientations and regularly participates in and organizes groups to walk in AIDS Walk NY. Stephen is a member of the NYEE LGBT Employee Resource group and represents LGBT issues on its Diversity Council.